Loved for its bouncy, slippery texture and appetising colour, alkaline noodles, aka ramen noodles, can be easily made at home and served in many delicious ways.
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What are alkaline noodles
Alkaline noodles (Jian Shui Mian, 碱水面) are basically wheat noodles that contain an alkaline component. Having a distinctively springy and slippery texture, they’re commonly used in Southern Chinese noodle dishes and ramen dishes, aka Japanese noodle soup (BTW this doesn’t refer to the instant ramen in packages).
By adding an alkaline agent to the dough, the noodles gain a more elastic, bouncy texture thus don’t snap easily. Also, they taste smooth and slippery, instead of soggy or starchy, after cooking.
Alkaline noodles may be mistaken for Chinese egg noodles as they also have a yellow tone. But when you bite into them, you’d easily notice the difference: they deliver a hint of alkaline flavour that many find pleasant.
Why homemade
Here are my reasons why you should try this recipe:
- Fresh noodles taste much better than dried ones. And the homemade version is healthier than the commercial ones as there are no hidden preservatives, flavourings, etc.
- It’s so easy to make! Only four ingredients are required. With the aid of a pasta maker, you can make beautiful, uniform-sized noodles with ease.
- Alkaline noodles stay in shape very well and don’t become sticky over time. So you can make them in a big volume and cook them anytime you want.
Ingredients & equipment
To make 4-6 servings of alkaline noodles, you’ll need:
- 500g all-purpose flour, or bread flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 210g water
- 1½ teaspoon lye water (Kansui/枧水)
- Cornstarch, for dusting
Lye water & its substitute
Lye water, also known as Kansui /枧水/雪碱水, is essentially a food grade potassium carbonate solution. You can find it in most Chinese/Asian stores. But making your own is totally achievable.
To produce homemade lye water, you’ll need to bake the baking soda in the oven then mix it with water. I’ve shared the detailed instructions in a separate blog post “Lye Water and Its Homemade Substitute”.
The quantity of lye water used in this recipe can be slightly reduced based on your own preference. If you find the yellow colour or the alkaline taste is too strong, try 1 teaspoon instead. Be sure not to increase its quantity as this would cause an unpleasant bitter taste.
You need a pasta maker
Unlike Chinese hand-rolled noodles (手擀面), the dough for alkaline noodles is much firmer and drier. So you’d need the aid of a pasta maker. I used a traditional manual machine for this recipe. If you have an electric pasta maker which mixes the dough and produces the noodles automatically, I suggest you reduce the water to 195g.
A note on measurements
I like using weight measurements for dough recipes as it produces the most reliable result. If you need to use cups instead, here is how to convert:
- All-purpose flour: 500g equals about 4 cups (The flour needs to be sifted before spooning into the cup then levelled with a knife).
- Water: 210g equals about 1 cup minus 2 tbsp
Make the dough
To evenly distribute the lye water, mix it with water first then gradually pour into the mixture of flour and salt. During this process, stir the flour constantly with chopsticks to make sure everything is fully incorporated.
Use your hand to combine and form a dough. Don’t be disheartened if you find it difficult and please resist the temptation to add more water. The dough is supposed to be on the dry side. It doesn’t need to be smooth. It’s fine as long as everything is pressed into a single mass with no loose flour left aside.
Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap (cling film) or a damp towel. Leave to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. During this time, the flour will absorb water further so the dough will become less crumbly and easier to work with.
After resting, knead the dough again for 1-2 mins. Don’t worry if it’s still not perfectly smooth. then move on to the next step.
Divide the dough into four portions. Use your hands or a rolling pin to flatten one piece of dough (cover the rest to prevent drying) until it’s thin enough to go through your pasta maker on the widest setting.
Roll the dough sheet
Feed it through the machine. Then fold the dough lengthway and repeat the procedure for another couple of times.
Turn the machine to the next setting. Pass the dough through twice. Then repeat the process while turning the setting one number up at a time until the dough reaches the desired thickness.
My pasta maker has 10 settings (from 0 to 9). I find No. 3 (2.4mm) or No. 4 (1.8mm) produces the ideal thickness for medium-sized round noodles.
Cut the noodles
Dust the dough sheet with a thin layer of corn starch (or other types of starch) to prevent the noodle strands from sticking.
Pass the dough sheet through a cutting attachment to produce noodles ( I use a spaghetti cutter).
Cook the noodles
Bring a large pot of water to a full boil. Add the noodles. Once the water comes back to boil, cook for a further 1-2 mins. Taste one strand to check the doneness (Do not overcook).
Rinse the noodles under running water for a few seconds then drain well. Serve with a sauce, toppings or in a soup (if serving as a cold dish, rinse until cooled).
Serving ideas
There are many delicious ways to serve alkaline noodles. Try the following:
- Dan Dan Noodles (担担面) and Chongqing Noodles (重庆小面) are popular Chinese street foods that stand out for their scrumptious toppings and sauces.
- Hot Dry Noodles (热干面) and Scallion Oil Noodles (葱油面) make great breakfast choices as they can be put together very easily.
- Chinese Sesame Noodles and Sichuan Style Cold Noodles (凉面) are refreshing cold dishes ideal for warm days.
- Lanzhou Beef Noodles Soup (兰州牛肉面) is usually served with hand-pulled noodles, but these machine-made alkaline noodles work perfectly too.
Make ahead & storage
Compared to other types of fresh noodles, one advantage of alkaline noodles/ramen is that they stay in shape for quite a long time. That is to say, the noodle strands won’t stick to each other and turn into a sticky mess.
So it’s a great idea to make them in big batches for later use. My recipe makes 4-6 servings (depending on your appetite). You can simply increase the quantity of the ingredients proportionally.
Divide uncooked noodles in portions then seal in bags/containers. You can store them in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for 3 months.
Cook the noodles following the same instructions explained above. If frozen, they can be boiled straight away without defrosting.
Other ways to make fresh noodles
Don’t have a pasta maker? You can still make delicious noodles from scratch. Here are recipes that don’t call for any machine:
Homemade Alkaline Noodles/Ramen Noodles (碱水面)
Ingredients
- 500 g all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 210 g water - at room temperature
- 1½ teaspoon lye water (Kansui) - see note 1 for substitute
- Cornstarch - for dusting
Instructions
Make the dough
- Add flour and salt to a mixing bowl. Mix water with lye water then pour into the flour gradually. Stir the flour constantly with chopsticks to evenly distribute the liquid.
- Use your hand to bring the lumps together to form a rough-looking dough. As this dough is on the dry side, this process may take some time to finish. You don’t need to make it smooth. It’s fine as long as everything is combined into one piece.
Rest the dough
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap/cling film or a damp cloth. Leave to rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Knead the dough for 1-2 mins to make it smoother (Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly smooth). Then divide into four portions.
Roll the dough sheet
- Use your hands or a rolling pin to flatten one piece of dough (cover the rest to prevent drying) until it’s thin enough to go through your pasta maker on the widest setting.
- Feed it through the machine. Then fold the dough lengthway and repeat the procedure another couple of times.
- Reduce the thickness setting. Pass the dough through twice. Then repeat the process while reducing the setting one number up at a time until the dough reaches the desired thickness. My pasta maker has settings from 0 to 9, I usually stop at No. 3 (2.4mm) or No. 4 (1.8mm).
Cut the noodles
- Dust the dough sheet with a thin layer of corn starch (or other types of starch) to prevent the noodle strands from sticking.
- Pass the dough sheet through a cutting attachment (I use a spaghetti cutter) to produce noodles. At about halfway through the process, use your hand to catch the noodles.
Cook the noodles
- Bring a large pot of water to a full boil. Add the noodles. Once the water comes back to boil, cook for a further 1-2 mins. Taste one strand to check the doneness (Do not overcook).
- Rinse the noodles under running water for a few seconds then drain well. Serve with a sauce, toppings or in a soup (if serving as a cold dish, rinse until cooled).
Store the noodles
- Place uncooked noodles in sealed bags/containers. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for 3 months.
- Cook the usual way. No need to defrost if frozen.
Video
NOTES
NUTRITION
NUTRITION DISCLOSURE: Nutritional information on this website is provided as a courtesy to readers. It should be considered estimates. Please use your own brand nutritional values or your preferred nutrition calculator to double check against our estimates.
Matt says
Thank you for this recipe! These come out great – I added them to some home made mushroom broth, and I tried the scallion oil recipe above. Noodles come out chewy and taste better than the dried store bought ones! This is going into my “favorite recipes” book for sure!
Wei Guo says
So happy to hear your positive feedback Matt!
T says
Hi, I have strictly followed your recipe, though used protein-rich flour, not AP one, and made my own lye water with kansui. The noodles turned out to be great … but only if I boil it immediately. It cannot be stored any minute longer than freshly cut. It becomes sticky no matter how long I dry it out or freeze, and when I try to cook it, it’s breaking into pieces and the center is always sticky and homogenous. I can’t understand what’s wrong with it. I quite successfully make my own Italian pasta or hand-pulled noodles, but this one simply can’t survive.
Wei Guo says
Sorry to hear that! I suspect that your dough was too soft. Depending on the absorption capacity of the flour, the water quantity may vary. The dough should be very firm for this recipe (please watch the video in the recipe card for reference).
Also, may I ask what you mean by “making lye water with kansui”? Kansui is another term for lye water. You can use kansui directly.
Mary says
My 18 year old son started a ramen club at his university and I thought he should know how to make the noodles. He has the eating the noodles down.
Your recipe was easy to follow and produced amazing noodles! If you have any suggestions on what a ramen club should do please let us know!
Wei Guo says
Happy to know you liked my recipe Mary! I’ve never heard of the concept of Ramen Club. So I won’t be helpful on this.
Mary says
Ramen club is just a way to introduce more people to ramen soup. Ramen soup has gained in popularity here in the northeast US but it is still hard to find a good place to enjoy ramen. If there were 2 things you thought people should know about ramen soup what would they be?
Wei Guo says
I guess you are talking about Japanese ramen soup. Just One CookBook is a blog where you might find helpful information on this subject.
Craig Janeway says
I made it using bread flour and kosher salt, and needed 75g more water. The noodle is denser, so make smaller noodle size. It was #4 on my pasta machine (#5 and #6 are too big). Might need to cook longer after placing in boiling water, and it comes back to a boil, so test a noodle until soft. Tastes great. My noodle was bigger, and I didn’t cook it long enough. Hence, the recommendations above. My first time ever making noodles, and It was fun and easy with the direction here. Thank you.
Wei Guo says
Thank you Craig for sharing your experience!
Nancy says
I see some ramen recipes using bread flour. Can I use it with this recipe or should I stick to all purpose flour?
Wei Guo says
You can use bread flour Nancy. You’d need a little more water in this case. Adjust as needed.
Nancy says
Thank you! I tried your recipe with excellent results. I was skeptical at first because the dough was unbelievably hard to work with. However, the end result was great and I will use your recipe again. I used #4 thickness and I want to try #3 next time to see which I prefer.
Anita says
Bonjour,
J ai préparé et cuis le baking soda puis une fois refroidi, j ai mis à bouillir 250 ml d eau ou j ai ajouté 1 c.c. de baking soda et fait bouillir ensemble pendant 5 min, mais une fois refroidit, il y a malgré tout un petit dépôt blanchâtre au fond de ma bouteille, est ce normal, svpl ????
Merci d avance.
Anita
Wei Guo says
Please read my recipe for Homemade Lye Water. You can simply mix baked baking soda with room temperature water.
Dustin says
I’ve been on a mission to make food for my family from organic ingredients while still giving them the options provided by packaged food. These noodles are wonderful. Followed the recipe using the baked baking soda method. Came out awesome! Thank you so much!
Wei Guo says
That’s wonderful to hear Dustin! So happy you enjoyed making them.
Victor Baer says
from 0 to 9, I usually stop at No
Starla Harris says
Love this recipe and the options for the lye water and no noodle roller. Do you happen to know if I can make a Rice noodle like this with rice flour? Or have gluten free options? Thanks for sharing great traditional food.
Wei Guo says
This recipe isn’t suitable for making noodles with rice flour. Rice noodles require a completely different process (make batter then steam). You should be able to find a recipe if search “rice noodles from scratch”.
Dave Hendren says
Perfect!! Just what I was looking for. Thank you for making this available.
Wei Guo says
My pleasure to share Dave! Hope you’ll enjoy making and eating them.